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Talhart
Talhart, also known as The Wretched amongst the Cult of the Drowned, is one of the great companions of High Priest William Falsemire the First of the Monastery of the Silent Crow. Known as being the only companion to survive the battle against the terrible Kil'zoth, King of the Mire, Talhart was believed to have committed suicide after the loss of his many friends and companions in the great battle. History Talhart was a renowned warrior and mage from the town of Mistvale that had ventured out to join the High Priest Falsemire in his purge of the Dark Woods of the evil within. Seen as William's closest friend and second in command after their travels together and having been the first to answer the call, Talhart longed for his name to be remembered in song for his heroics. Believing that he would be remembered for time immemorial for defeating the ancient evil within the forest, Talhart enlisted under High Priest Falsemire near immediately, leaving behind his friends and family. Battling through Dread Lurkers and all sorts of creatures within the Woods, Talhart and the other two hundred and fifty companions of Falsemire eventually found the source of evil within the forest, Kil'zoth. Leading the charge, Talhart and the other companions descended on the great monstrosity that was attempting to taint the Misted Basin. His companions decimated in one attack, Talhart was wounded grievously but continued to battle with his magic and sword until the High Priest weakened the great Kil'zoth with blades empowered with his own soul. Taking this opportunity, Talhart led a final daring charge against the great Kil'zoth that eventually felled him; though at a high price. A last effort to take his assailants with him, Kil'zoth unleashed his energy against them in a massive arcane explosion that killed all but Talhart and William. Calling upon the spirits of the fallen, William sealed Kil'zoth away under the waters and returned to the monastery. Wrought with overwhelming grief, Talhart was reported to have hung himself from one of the tallest oaks in the Dark Woods rather than return home with the thought of so many dead on his mind. In truth, Talhart was possessed by Kil'zoth in those last moments, becoming the thrall of the very creature he swore to eliminate. Cult of the Drowned Unable to resist the dark god's will on his form, the spirit of Talhart was eventually completely defeated as Kil'zoth took complete dominion of his body. Garbed in black robes, Talhart went across the Ashen Coast and Gilneas spreading word of the great Kil'zoth and his promises of power, creating the Cult of the Drowned. For years upon years, the Cult worked on ways to weaken the binds of the prison that kept Kil'zoth within the waters and unable to rise again. During this time, the arcane energies that had impacted Talhart's body began to corrode and eat away at the skin of the once great warrior, leaving him nothing more than a wretched husk to host the great fallen king until his resurrection. Seeing his time as running thin, Kil'zoth went to great lengths to discover anyway to unlock the barriers that prevented him from resurrection. Eventually finding his form near unable to move, Kil'zoth resigned deep within the woods, protected by the cult, to await his resurrection. Around the same time, the Blades of Greymane began to scour into the woods to construct a road that would connect Brandon's Stead, Gregor's Crossing, and Bannhurst. Originally planning to leave the Blades unmolested as they worked through the woods, their alliance with the Order of the Silent Crow had caused issues, as they were the only ones who knew the art of binding. Ordering his servants to launch an attack on the monastic grounds, Kil'zoth's servants were able to secure one of the two holy blades buried with the original High Priest Falsemire; unable to grab the second as their attack was repelled by a Blades intervention. Kil'zoth poured part of his dark soul into the blade, corrupting the blade with his own power. The blade was stabbed into a large Dread Lurker broodmother, empowering her with the dark god's power. Essentially creating Xxala the Broodmother, a mythical broodmother that was said to dwarf even the largest of lurkers by nearly triple their size, the blade was left in the Lurker's care in it's den. When the Blades descended on the Lurker Den to purge it to prevent attacks on the construction workers for the road, Xxala rose to smite the Blades at Kil'zoth's command. Against overwhelming odds, Xxala was defeated by the Blades and the now corrupted holy blade taken by their order, wielded by Cladriah Felweaver. As the Blades began to make moves against the Cult as a severe threat, Kil'zoth's resurrection neared full completion. As a show of force, Kil'zoth manifested his will into his husk, using his power to nearly kill the Blades before retreating back to regain full strength. His servants reported the rallying of the Blades under Lord Berenal Grayblade with the second uncorrupted blade in hand. Kil'zoth now awaits what he perceives to be a re-enactment of his infamous defeat; however he believes he will be victorious as the odds are in his favor. Should Kil'zoth succeed he will taint the Misted Basin and turn the Ashen Coast's people into demented slaves of his will. His spirit having transferred to his still recovering true body, the husk of Talhart has taken autonomy once again. Driven insane by decades of control, the warrior's will has been fully bent to Kil'zoth's command, giving him a deadly ally in his former thrall. Empowering Talhart's body, Talhart now stood as the final guardian to prevent the Blades from destroying his new master, as in his mind he believed his name would be sung in dark songs as the herald of Kil'zoth. In the end, Talhart was defeated by the Blades and in his final moments unleashed a devastating attack on Kil'zoth before collapsing. Following the end of the battle, Talhart was given a proper burial at the request of High Priest Falsemire, believing his soul had finally seen the light in his final moments once more. Category:Human Category:Gilnean Category:Dark Woods Category:Creatures